Hemp-breaking machine.



No. 872,426. PATENTED DEC. 8, 1907.

T. & W. B. HOPKINS.

HEMP BREAKING MACHINE APPLICATION FILED DEG.13. 1906.

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No. 872,426. PATENTED DEC. 3, 1907.

' T. & w. B. HOPKINS.

HEMP BREAKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 13. 1906.

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THE NORRIS PETERS co., wasnuvarou. u. c

PATENTED DEC. 3, 1907.

T. & W. B. HOPKINS. HEMP BREAKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEG.13, 1906.

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. UNITED STATES THOMAS HOPKINS AND WILLIAM B. HOPKINS, OF LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY.

HEMP-BREAKIN G MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1907.

Application filed December 13.1906- Serial No. 347.668.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, THOMAS HOPKINS and VVTLLIAh i B. I'TOPKINS, of Lexington, in the county of Fayette, and in the State of Kentucky, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Hemp-Breaking Machines,- and do hereby declare that the following is a full. clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1. is a top plan view of a hempbreaking machine embodying our invention; Fig. 2 a side elevation thereof; and, Fig. 3 a detail view in vertical longitudinal section.

The object of our invention is to provide a thoroughly efficient and practical machine for breaking hemp, and to this end our invention consists in the machine constructed substantially as hereinafter specified and claimed.

In the machine which we have designed as one embodiment of our invention, a frame 1 of wooden bars or beams is employed, at one end of which is a hemp-feeding apron 2 passing over rollers 3 journaled in suitable bearings in the frame in. the same horizontal plane, from which apron the hemp is delivered to and passes between a pair of parallel ribbed or corrugated rolls t and 5, arranged respectively one above the other. After passing between the ribbed or corrugated break rolls, the hemp is delivered to the upper horizontal traveling section of a carrier chain 6 composed of parallel rods that extend transversely of the machine, and links at each end of the rods, the rods, adjacent the links at each end engaging sprocket wheels 7. One of the sprocket wheels 7 is mounted. on a transversely extending shaft 3, on which is a gear wheel 9 meshing with an idler pinion 10 on a shaft 11 which also has keyed to it a pinion 12 meshing with a gear 13, which, in turn, is in mesh with and is driven by a pinion 14 on a suitably driven main shaft 15, all of said. shafts being mounted in suitable bearings in the frame 1. Power to drive the break-rolls 4 and 5 is conveniently taken from the shaft 8 by keying to the latter a sprocket pinion 16 and running therefrom a sprocket chain 17 to a sprocket wheel 18 on the shaft 19 of the lower break-roll. And from the lower break roll shaft motion is communicated to the feed apron by means of a pulley 20 on said shaft, on which a belt runs to a shafts.

The hemp lying on and supported by the carrier chain passes between two breaking devices consisting of reciprocating sashes 22 1 and 23, respectively, above and below the carrier chain, each of said sashes being provided with blades or teeth 24, separated or I spaced suitable distances apart, and the teeth or blades of one sash being so disposed that they will be opposite the spaces between the teeth of the opposite sash, and the movements of the sash and carrier chain being so timed that the blades or teeth will not strike the bars of the carrier chain.

The reciprocating'motion of the two sashes an oscillatory one, so that besides the pulley 21 on one of the apron roller movement towards and from the carrier chain, there will be a movement of the hempengaging blades or teeth along with the hemp I and the carrier chain, and then backwards, so that there will be no interference between the sashes and the bars of the carrier chain, which might occur if the sashes had a movement only crosswise of the carrier chain. To produce such movements of the two sashes, we use the following construction :The upper sash is pivotally connected at each end to a pair of parallel bars 25 and 26. At the point of connection of the bar 25 and the upper sash, a rod or pitman 27 is pivotally c011- nected at its lower end, and at its upper end it is connected to an eccentric strap 28 on an eccentric 29 on the main shaft 15, by which eccentric the up and down, or carrier-crosswise, movement is imparted to the upper sash. To produce the movement of the upper sash parallel with the hemp-supporting portion of the carrier chain, the bar 26 is pivotally connected to a lever 30, pivoted at one end to the frame 1, which is vibrated horizontally by being connected by a link 31 with a lever 32, similar to the lever 30 for the lower sash, with which said lever 32 is coni nected by a bar 33 corresponding to the bar I 26 of the upper sash, and there is also pivoted to the lower sash a bar 34 corresponding I to the upper sash bar 25. The lever 32 is connected by a rod or pitman 35 with the cocentric strap 28,, so that by being thus connected with said eccentric strap, both levers 31 and 32 will be vibrated horizontally, and

y the upper and lower sash given the desired horizontal movement. The carrier-crosswise movement of the lower sash is produced by means of an eccentric 36 on the main shaft 15 having a strap 37 which is connected by a rod or pitman 38 with the lower sash at the oint of connection of the bar 33 therewith.

The speed oi he corrugated breaking rolls is slower than the speed of the carrier chain 6 that the movement of the latter is faster than that of the hemp. The relative speeds we employ (but to which, of course,we do not limit ourselves) is such rate of revolution of the corrugated rolls as will move the hemp thereby about fifty feet per minute, and the travel of the carrier chain is about one hun dred and fifty feet per minute. of this difference in speeds the hemp is straightened or drawn out after each stroke of the sash, and the carrier chain rods rub over the hemp on the underside and rub oil or loosen the hurds, so that they can be removed therefrom.

To keep the hemp in contact with the carrier chain, we use pneumatic pressure, for this purpose placing below the carrier chain a rotary fan or blower 39, whose axis is vertical, and to the inlet of which a hopper 40 extends from the lower side of the carrier chain, so that a sufliciently strong current of air will pass from above the hemp on the carrier chain, downward. Besides this important function of keeping the hemp on the carrier chain while being subjected to the action of the sash or beaters, the fan removes or carries away from the hemp the hurds and other loose matter. The fan has a discharge opening or chute 41. The fan or blower may be revolved in any desired Way, as by means of a band wheel 42 on theblower shaft.

While the mechanism constructed and or ganized, as we show in our drawings, is a sat isfactory embodiment of our invention, it is to be understood that we do not restrict the scope of our invention to machines of any particular construction or organization.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is f 1. In a hemp breaking machine, the combination of reciprocating breaking means, a carrier on which the hemp rests, and towards and from which said means reciprocates, said carrier having openings, and means to cause a current of air to pass through the hemp towards the carrier, whereby the hemp is held on the carrier and loose matter removed from the hemp.

2. In a hemp-breaking machine, the combination of breaking means, a carrier having openings and supporting the hemp under the As a result action of the breaking means, and air pressure producing means leading to the carrier on the side opposite that supporting the hemp.

3. In a hemp breaking machine, the combination of reciprocating breaking means, a carrier having hemp supporting means composed of a series of separated or spaced surfaces, towards and from which the reciprocating means reciprocates, and means for producing a current of air crosswise of the carrier from the hemp engaging side thereof, and through the spaces between the separated hemp supporting suriaces of the carrier, such current of air acting to hold the hemp on the carrier and to remove loose matter from the hemp.

4. In a hemp breaking machine, the combination of a hemp carrier, a reciprocating hemp beater, and means to move the beater in the same direction as the direction of movement of the carrier while in contact with the hemp thereon.

5. In a hemp breaking machine, the combination of a hemp carrier, two oppositely reciprocating hemp beaters, and means to move the heaters i the same direction as the direction of movement of the carrier While in contact with the hem thereon.

6. In a hemp brea "ng machine, the combination of a hemp carrier, and reciprocating beaters on opposite sides of the carrier, each composed of separated or spaced blades, the blades of one .beater being opposite the spaces of the other beater, and each having a movement parallel with the direction of travel of the carrier while in contact with the hemp thereon.

7. In a hemp breaking machine, the combination of a hemp carrier, a beater having a series of blades or teeth, bars pivoted to the beater, a lever pivoted to one of the bars, and means to vibrate the beater and said lever.

8. In a hemp breaking machine, the combination of a hemp carrier, a heater having a series of blades on each side of the carrier, bars pivoted to each beater, a lever pivoted to one of the bars of each beater, connections between the two levers, and means to vibrate the heaters and said levers.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing we have hereunto set our hand.

THOMAS HOPKINS. WILLIAM B. HOPKINS.

Witnesses:

T. H. DUDLEY, J. W. FELL. 

